For the Valentine's Day hatch I decided to experiment with a couple of dozen grocery store eggs. One dozen turned out to not even be fertile, so they're a non-issue.
I do have a question for you experienced hatchers about the Trader Joe fertile eggs. I wasn't sure about how old they were when I bought them, there was no pack or Julian date on the carton. They just had an "enjoy by" date that was about a month out, so I assumed they were fairly fresh. I let the eggs sit at room temperature in my turner for 24 hours before they were set. They all started to develop and at 4-5 days had very good veining. At about the mid-point, a couple quit and I pulled them today (day 18) for lockdown. I opened those two eggs and the chick inside was about an inch and a half long.
My question is about the eggs I put into lockdown. The air cell looks normal, the same size as the eggs from my flock and what I expected. The chicks inside are very active and I can clearly see them, legs, feet/claws, etc. My question is, they seem much smaller inside than my own eggs. I don't know if this is because they were slowed down by the refrigeration or if the egg itself was just much larger than my own.
The chicks in my eggs appear to nearly fill the egg, the TJ eggs are probably only 2/3 of the egg (not counting the air cell).
Will the TJ eggs just hatch much later? Will they drown? Will they be deformed? Will they quit?
Just wondered if anyone with more hatching experience (this is only my second time) will have a better idea of what I should expect.
Thanks,
Deb
I do have a question for you experienced hatchers about the Trader Joe fertile eggs. I wasn't sure about how old they were when I bought them, there was no pack or Julian date on the carton. They just had an "enjoy by" date that was about a month out, so I assumed they were fairly fresh. I let the eggs sit at room temperature in my turner for 24 hours before they were set. They all started to develop and at 4-5 days had very good veining. At about the mid-point, a couple quit and I pulled them today (day 18) for lockdown. I opened those two eggs and the chick inside was about an inch and a half long.
My question is about the eggs I put into lockdown. The air cell looks normal, the same size as the eggs from my flock and what I expected. The chicks inside are very active and I can clearly see them, legs, feet/claws, etc. My question is, they seem much smaller inside than my own eggs. I don't know if this is because they were slowed down by the refrigeration or if the egg itself was just much larger than my own.
The chicks in my eggs appear to nearly fill the egg, the TJ eggs are probably only 2/3 of the egg (not counting the air cell).
Will the TJ eggs just hatch much later? Will they drown? Will they be deformed? Will they quit?
Just wondered if anyone with more hatching experience (this is only my second time) will have a better idea of what I should expect.
Thanks,
Deb
